Support LO school bond
Our Lake Oswego School District does an outstanding job providing a supportive environment for students to learn and grow, setting them up for successful careers and lives.
Like many of our neighbors, the strong reputation of Lake Oswego schools was a determining factor in our moving here over 20 years ago. Our two children thrived attending schools in the district and have now moved on to careers of their own.
We urge you to support LOSD School Bond Measure 3-577 to help assure that future generations of children will have access to the same (perhaps better!) experience.
Bond funds will be used to replace two of our older schools (Lake Oswego Junior High and River Grove Elementary).
In addition, bond funds will allow LSD to make repairs, improve accessibility, enhance safety and security, and modernize classrooms throughout the district. Please see buildinggreatloschools.com to learn more the bond and how the funds will be used.
Our school buildings average 51 years old. They are becoming outdated, overcrowded, and inefficient. Now is the time to reinvest in these community assets.
Please join us in supporting Bond Measure 3-577.
Alan and Davina Doby
Lake Oswego
Continue excellent work of school bond
This November, we have the opportunity to continue the excellent work of our last school bond. Lake Oswego is highly regarded for its high-quality public education and school facilities.
The upcoming bond will help ensure the long-term health of our existing school facilities and replace two of our schools, which have become obsolete and are at the end of their practical lives.
As a member of the previous Bond Accountability Committee, I observed the expenditure of the last bond firsthand. I am impressed with the team LOSD has in place to manage and utilize bond funds effectively and efficiently.
I urge Lake Oswego voters to support the new bond and vote yes in November. Let’s all work to ensure we have 21st century schools to meet the education, technological, and environment demands of the coming decades.
Bruce Brown
Lake Oswego
Invasive species are real threat to natural areas
Supporters of Measure 3-568 would like voters to believe that “development” constitutes the biggest threat to our natural areas.
We volunteers engaged in restorative stewardship on these lands share this concern, and yet we know that the biggest threats come from a much different place.
Critical threats to our natural areas come from impacts of invasive species (both plants and animals), the effects of climate change with loss of hydration and exposure to extreme heat, lack of diversity, encroachments and human uses, ignorance about habitat values, fragmentation and neglect.
While supporters of both measures value the same things, only Measure #3-575 offers both preservation and the balance for protection within a management framework based on the individual uniqueness of our natural areas.
Voters will choose one of these measures which will change the City’s Charter, which sits at the very highest level of our municipal structure.
Since the current amendment has lasted for 43 years, any change must come after careful consideration. We need a measure that is balanced and provides the best preservation and enhancement of the natural areas while allowing for prudent use and access.
Please visit friendsofloparks.org to read about three examples that show how these measures fare when applied to prospective changes at Iron Mountain Park.
Clearly, when balancing ecological care and stewardship with respectful human use and access, the City’s Natural Preservation Measure 3-575 deserves your support. Join the members of the many Friends groups who endorse Measure 3-575 so we can deal with the real threats.
Mike Buck,
Friends of Iron Mountain chair
Lake Oswego
Help school district continue transformation
This November, Lake Oswego voters have the opportunity to continue the transformation of our school district by supporting the 2021 bond to build safe, modern, exceptional schools.
The school district has demonstrated that it is a good steward of taxpayer dollars. With its dedicated, expert project management team, overseen by a citizen accountability committee, LOSD has delivered on what was promised in the first bond — a brand-new Lakeridge Middle School, renovation of Oak Creek Elementary, and infrastructure improvements at all of the other buildings, including seismic upgrades.
The seismically upgraded buildings will not only provide shelter for community members in the wake of a cataclysmic event, but also enable the district to reopen schools quickly.
The 2021 bond will continue this good work! It will fund the replacement of the aging and outdated Lake Oswego Junior High and River Grove Elementary schools, modernize high school science and engineering labs, and improve safety features and accessibility at all schools.
For more information on the bond, please visit buildinggreatloschools.com
The 2021 LO School is good for our students and our community. Please join me in voting YES on Measure 3-577!
Courtney A. Clements
Lake Oswego
Vote to truly protect parks
Initiative 3-568 better protects our natural area parks than the City’s Referendum 3-575. Initiative 3-568 places the current natural park areas into the Charter.
Referendum 3-575 causes the natural park boundaries to be described by ordinance, changeable by City Council amendment and eligible for development. In spite of climate change, the Referendum opens the door to reducing the natural parks.
Understandably, the large dollar donations to the Referendum’s PAC are by development, real estate and business individuals.
The Sierra Club and Oregon Wild compared the two measures and strongly endorsed the Initiative as better protecting our natural parks.
The referendum eliminates the full Charter protection for Springbrook Park. Initiative 3-568 continues full protection. The initiative supports natural material trails that meet ADA standards, including wheelchair access. To state otherwise is nonsense.
“Maintenance” defined in the Initiative does not prohibit rehabilitation of existing facilities or facilities that are otherwise allowed. It does not prohibit storm clean- up. It allows the removal of dead or other trees that are dangerous to trail use or facilities and for removing invasive species.
Vote “Yes” on BM 3-568 and “No” on BM 3-575.
Michael Kohlhoff
Lake Oswego
Confused yet? Vote yes on 3-575
There are two seemingly similar ballot measures about protecting our natural resources. Only one, the City’s Measure 3-575, is comprehensive, responsive to climate change and provides the best access to all our residents to our natural areas. It requires citizen participation in any proposed changes to our natural areas.
This ballot measure was initiated by the hundreds of volunteers in our Friends groups who actually do the work to repair, maintain and enhance our natural areas. It has the endorsement of those Friends groups along with the endorsements of our current mayor, city council, former mayors, former city councilors, the Oswego Lake Watershed Council, the Sustainability Network, and dozens of thoughtful and concerned citizens of Lake Oswego.
Measure 3-575 is the product of the many citizens who care about and work in our natural areas. It truly protects and preserves the ecologic and environmental functions that are needed for healthy natural areas.
Visit https://friendsofloparks.org/for more information on why 3-575 is the better choice between these two ballot measures. Vote Yes on 3-575!
Rosie Stephens
Lake Oswego
Citizens’ measure would fully protect parks
I have done my research into the competing parks measures. 3-568 (citizens’ initiative) was written with the full and clear intent to protect our parks without the influence of corporate development and the Spring-brook Park tennis center.
Measure 3-575 (City Council initiative) was written late, quickly and is coming from insiders’ interest that allows expansion of development, cell towers and other items that don’t protect our natural parks.
It’s easy to see if you compare - Vote Yes and No
Yes on 3-568 (citizens initiative)
No on 3-575 (City Council initiative)
Tom Finnerty
Lake Oswego